Electrotherapeutic apparatus



(No ModeLy I. GEIGBR. ELBCTROTHERAPEUTIC APPARATUS.

No. 587,436. Patented Aug. 3,1897.I

www: ALTE R. DIRECT. bww/xv 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK GEIGER, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTROTHERAPEUTIC APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,436, dated August 3, 1897.

Application filed May 13, 1897. Serial No, 636,422. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that l, FREDERICK GEIGEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrotherapeutic Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to an electrotherapeutic apparatus designed for use by physicians with any of the commercial electric currents found in cities or towns, whether direct or alternating, irrespective of their voltage, and also designed for use with ordinary battery or other generator currents; and in such connection it relates to the construction and arrangement of such an apparatus for such purposes among others.

The principal objects of myinvention are, first, to provide in an electrotherapeutic apparatus in connection with a main circuit a patient or operator circuit in series with a fixed resistance and a variable resistance in shunt with the patient or operator circuit and directly in the main circuit, and, second, to provide in such an apparatus a main circuit, a fixed resistance and a variable resistance included in said main circuit, an operator-circuit in series with the fixed resistance and in shunt with the variable resistance, and a polechanging switch interposed in the operatorcircuit and adapted to convert an alternating current into a direct current.

My invention, stated in general terms, consists of an elec-trotherapeutic apparatus con structed and arranged in substantially the manner hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which represents in diagram the construction and arrangement of an apparatus embodying main features of Iny invention.

Referring to the drawing, aand a represent the main-line wires of any circuit, whether commercial of a direct or alternating character ork from a battery or generator, as is most convenient. In this circuit is located a fixed resistance b, consisting, preferably, of a lamp adapted to pass a current of five hun dred milliamperes, which current is found in practice to be more than sufiicient for use in general or ordinary galvanic treatment. This fixed resistance is located in series with the operator-circuit by the feeder-wires d and d', which lead from the main circuit a and a to two terminals or buttons e and e', upon which is adapted to rest the two-part switch f and f', connecting said terminals e and e' with the bindingposts g and g/ by the wires 7i and 71,.

The patient-circuit may be traced as follows: Starting from a main wire a it passes through the lamp b by the wire d to one ter- Ininal c, thence through the switch f and wire h to one binding post g. It then passes through the patient to the other binding-post g', thence by the wire 77,' and switch f to the terminale', thence by the Wire d .to the main* line wire a'. Between the lamp h and the main-circuit wires a and a is located a variable resistance or rheostat k, graduated to fractions of an ohm and constituting a shunt for the patient-circuit to permit or oder a more free passage for the current passing through the 'lamp h, back to the main circuit rather than to the patient circuit. Thus when a fraction of an ohm of resistance is introduced into the shunt-line it will permit of about ninety-nine per cent. of the current passingfrom the lamp back to the main circuit, while the operator or patient line being in series with the lamp, as above explained, will receive but one per cent. of the current passing through said lamp.

The sh-unt-circuit maybe traced as follows: from the line a through the wire d and lamp b to the wire m, thence through the rheostat 7e and switch-arm n by the wire m to the wire d', and thence to the main-circuit wire a. B y varying the resistance 7s from a fraction of an ohm to about seventy-five ohms the voltage of the series or operator line may be varied from a fraction of a volt to about sixty volts, the amperage of said series or operators line, howevenbeing practically uniform, since it is controlled always by the Xed re sistance or lamp I) as well as by the shunt variable resistance k.

IVhen the current from the main circuit CL and a is alternating, it may, if desired, be changed to direct prior to reaching the patient circuit or line by means of a pole-changing switch constructed substantially and IOO preferably as follows: In the main circuit is placed two electromagnets 0 and o', having their poles of opposite polarity facing each other and operated by a current from the main line ay and a through the line or wires p and p when the switch p2 is closed. Be-

tween the poles of the electromagnets 0 and o is placed an oscillating permanent magnet q, consisting, preferably, of a thin piece of steel swinging freely on a pivot q', so as to be alternately attracted and repellcd by the alternating` current passing through the electromagnets 0 and o.

rlhe permanent magnet q has at its free end two contact-lugs q2 and g3, one of wlich, q2, is connected by the wire di with the patient line-wire d, while the other, Q3, is connected by the wire di with the line-wire d. These contact-lugs q2 and q are adapted to malte contact with the contact-screws fr, i, r2, and r3, of which i" and ri are connected by the wire s and r and r3 by the wire s. The wire s is connected by the wire t with a contactbutton t', and the wire s' is connected by the wire t with a contact-button e. The buttons yif and i," are arranged in the path of the twopart switch fand j", which when shifted is adapted to rest thereon. When this switch is thus shifted and the switch p2 is closed, the circuit through the pole-changing switch is as follows: from the main line a' by the wire p to the eleetromagnet o, thence to the electromagnet o bythe wire p to the wire d' and to the main line a. At the same time the patient-circuit will proceed from the wire ci through the resistance l) by the wires CZ and cl2 to the contact q2, thence either to the wire s or s by the wire t or t to the button@l cr e through the member f or f of the switch and the terminal g or g', and thence to the other terminal g or g by the button t" err, the line t or i, the wire s or s, to the contact g3, and

thence by the wires di and d to the mainline wire d.

Having thus described the nature and ob- 4 jects of my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In an electrotherapeutic apparatus, a main circuit, a patient or operator circuit, a lixed resistance in series with the operator-cir- 5 cuit, anda variable resistance in the main circuit and in shunt with the patient or operator circuit, substantially as and 'for the purposes described.

2. In an electrotherapeutic apparatus, a 5 main circuit, a fixed resistance and a rheostat included in said main circuit, and an operator-circuit in series with said fixed resistance and in shunt with the rheostat, substantially as and for the purposes described. 6

ln an electrotherapentie apparatus, a main circuit, a fixed resistance and a Variable i'esistance included in said main circuit, an operator-circuit in series with the fixed resistance and in shunt with the variable resistance, and a pole-changing switch interposed in the operator-circuit, substantially as and for the purposes described.

t. ln an electrotherapeutic apparatus, a polechanging switch consisting ot two elec- 7 tromagnets included in the main circuit of an alternating,` current and hayingpoles of opposite polarity facing` each other, an oscillating permanent magnet haring two contacts in circuit with the operator-line,and contact-screws 7 also in circuit with said operator-line,substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of two subscribing` witnesses.

FREDERCK GEIGER.

qWitnesses: v

J. WALTER Denen-iss, Tiioniis M. SnrrH. 

